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Topic Review (Newest First)

01-24-2011 04:18 PM

killclimbz

I agree that all of the classic red flags were there. Snowing over an inch an hour, lot's of wind, plus natural avalanches were visible at various spots on the pass. Ultimately he paid with his life. You can't really ask for much more than that. Hopefully this is a learning experience.

I was at the pass on Friday and almost everyone I talked too was asking about this accident. So it is definitely in front of people's minds. Of course there was a fair number of riders out there sans gear, hopefully they won't venture into avalanche terrain...

01-24-2011 04:09 PM

linvillegorge

Damn it, that sucks even worse. So reminiscent of the last death on Berthoud as that victim's avy gear was in the passenger seat of his car in the parking lot.

I hate to play Monday morning QB on this, but Jeff should've known better than to have been out on the pass in those conditions, with the avy danger where it was with a partner with no gear. Even in areas you know very well, it's easy to get a bit off track in low visibility. A bit off track in avalanche terrain can be the difference between living and dying.

You're probably right that visibility played a role here. It sounds like Jeff knew what he was doing and was trying to play it safe, but the poor visibility may have led to him getting a bit off course and into an area he didn't intend to be in.

01-24-2011 03:38 PM

killclimbz

A few things about this accident.

Lot's of little mistakes added up to taking a life.

The victim had a beacon, left it in his car. I assume this is because his partner did not have avy gear.

Evidently they were planning on riding the 7 mile trail. Which by itself is not really threatened by avalanches and is about as safe as it can get to ride. There is a 100 year path that comes down from the Mines drainage. If that one gets you in Seven Mile, well god hates you. The problem is that getting into the 7 mile trail brings you under some avy paths. There are pretty safe lines to get through this but conditions contributed to them not taking that route.

Conditions as mentioned were snowing hard and very windy. Hard to see white out at times. So visibility was an issue. From what I have seen they traversed too high when they were trying to get onto the seven mile trail. They ended up smack in the middle of the apron. A loaded face that rips a fair amount of times. Jeff's partner was able to ride out, while Jeff most likely had the rug pulled out from under him.

He was not buried deep. Most likely that he suffocated.

I am pretty sure that the slab fracture I noticed on the Apron was the one that got him after reading some of the reports. From where he was found, and where they talk about the slide, it almost certainly is. We could have done something.

This is a stark reminder as to why we carry avy gear. Better to have a gun and not need it...

This. I've rode with killclimbz and his dog a couple of times. Dogs do just fine in the snow.

01-23-2011 10:19 PM

pencap75

Excuse my ignorance as I have never ridden backcountry. But, technically, how does one go snowboarding with a dog? Does the dog run down the mountain as you carve down? Is the dog at the bottom waiting for the master? Is it a little dog in a back pack? I'm just trying to picture how you backcountry ride with a dog.

01-21-2011 01:20 AM

linvillegorge

I don't know if they realized the danger they were putting themselves in or not. I do know that from chatting with some people that there are many people out there who would consider themselves relatively avy savvy that don't understand that you can trigger an avalanche without being on the slope itself. That it's very possible to trigger one from below without even being on the slope. This sounds like what very well could've happened in this place.

I had no clue this was possible before reading Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain. I know just enough about avalanche awareness to get myself in trouble in complicated terrain, but at least I know that.

01-20-2011 03:46 PM

killclimbz

I hate to keep talking on this one, but there is a lot that can be learned here.

He was riding in the exact area that I thought he was. From the report from his friend, sounds like the slide released from above the cliffs. Not a good scenario. Those cliffs have a convex roll and get very wind loaded. A trained eye would instantly see this.

Avalanches just don't care if you are an expert, novice, uneducated, superhero, dog, whatever. They will take anyone and anything out that annoys them.

01-20-2011 02:45 PM

linvillegorge

That sucks. With Jeff already gone, it would've been nice for a small sliver of good news to come out of this.

01-20-2011 09:59 AM

killclimbz

Unfortunately I heard this morning that the dog was also buried and killed.

My experience with the pooches in the backcountry is that they often get flushed out and not buried, but obviously that is not 100% of the time. Lighter weight, the constant swimming motion, generally keeps them on top. Riding with a dog, also makes me extra conservative when out there. I don't want to lose my best friend and putting a beacon on him is not an option. There are lines where I make my partners hold onto Cody while I drop. Then after I give the all clear they send him down. If I don't trigger a slope, it's not likely a little 50lb dog is going too. Still, that does freak me out a bit. Sound decision making skills are pretty much required if you want to ride with you dog in the bc. Unfortunately there wasn't much of this in this situation. 26 is too young to die and there are a bunch of people hurting now that he is gone. I do remember seeing Jeff on the pass here and there.

01-20-2011 12:00 AM

jeri534

so sad, RIP.

Is it my or has there been a shit ton of deaths already this season in resorts and the backcountry?

Stay safe out there

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